Laundry Day
by unashamed-shipper
Summary: Natsu and Lucy argue over a washer in the laundromat with an unexpected result.


"Yep, I'll pick up chocolate on the way home," Natsu spoke into the phone quietly as to not disturb the other people in the laundromat with his normally loud voice. After ending the call, Natsu pressed the red button on his phone to end the call before getting his laundry done. Clutching his phone in one hand and clothes in the other, he stuffed some of the garments in his laundry basket into the washer and shut it before reaching toward the washer below it.

Unfortunately, another hand reached forward and grabbed the handle as soon as he grasped onto it. As his hand covered the other person's, annoyance ran up Natsu's spine. Narrowing his eyes, he glared up the arm's length only to find that a woman was attached to it.

A really gorgeous one.

"Can I use the dryer, please?" she asked in a dulcet tone, and Natsu found himself enchanted and would have retracted his hand if not for one thing-it was the last washing machine not in use in the place.

"No can do, lady," Natsu replied, slightly shocking himself. Usually he would have given it up for her, but he had a job interview tomorrow and his clothes were filthy. And it wasn't like he came to the laundromat often-he was only here about once a week to wash his clothes like normal people did.

But he had never met someone this beautiful before at one of his weekly outings. She wore a sweatshirt and jeans with paint on them-probably because she had plenty of other clothes to wash-but her blonde hair and ivory skin looked clean and bright. Her hazel eyes, though, glared at him as if he had done something wrong.

Which he had, but that was besides the point.

"And why not?" she questioned, posing with her hand on her hip and her chest pushed slightly forward. It would work most of the time on men, but this particular occurrence she was wearing a sweatshirt that covered all of her assets and jeans that didn't even cling slightly to her curves. This was going to be harder than it looked.

"Cause I have a job interview tomorrow!" Natsu growled, shifting his eyes to her chest and then back up again at her eyes. The woman's eyes narrowed further, and she looked like she was about to slap him before her own eyes darted to a blood stain on a pair of jeans.

"Is-Is that what I think it is?" she asked, lifting the pair of trousers from Natsu's hand and staring at the back of them.

"Um...yeah. My sister Wendy got her period the other day, and I told her I'd wash her clothes along with mine. I dunno how the hell to get those stains out though," Natsu told her, face slightly reddening as he scratched the back of his neck. Periods weren't something he was well-versed in, being a guy and all, but Wendy had filled him in and was the one calling right when he was about to finish the load of laundry

The woman's face lit up instantaneously and she detached her hand from the washer with a smile. Natsu felt like the air was knocked out of him as she chattered on about stain removers to him. Dear lord, how could one woman be this pretty and have her emotions change so suddenly?

"And then you just dab it on the stain with a towel," she said, lifting the jeans up to him and showing him her handiwork. "Then you should be all good to go!"

"Wow, thanks, uh-," he replied, realizing that he never got her name.

"Oh, I'm Lucy! Lucy Heartfilia. Nice to meet you," she said, sticking out a hand to shake his.

"Nice to meet ya, Luce! I'm Natsu Dragneel. Sorry for all the trouble earlier," Natsu said with a nervous smile, feeling the warmth from her hand radiate into his.

"No problem! If I would have known what it really was for, I would have let you use it immediately," Lucy responded, grinning one more time. Wow, her smile was even more gorgeous than he originally thought!

"You can use that one. I think another one opened up over there." Natsu pointed across the room where someone was taking their clothing out of the washer and pushing in into the dryer.

"Thanks! But...don't you wanna ask me on a date before you go?" Lucy smiled slyly, and Natsu sucked in a breath.

Deciding to let his confidence run the show, he grinned slyly. "Sure, Luce. But are you sure you're ready for a crazy adventure?"

"Oh, I think I can handle it," she replied with a wink. Writing her phone number down on a piece of paper she withdrew from her purse, she shoved it against his chest before sauntering out of the laundromat with grace she didn't even know she had.

"Call me," she said into the wind, knowing that Natsu would do just that, and soon.


End file.
